0:00:02 > 0:00:07You know, we believe that Britain has the best food in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Not only can we boast fantastic ingredients.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17- Outstanding food producers. - Oh, look at that.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19And innovative chefs.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22But we also have an amazing food history.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25- Oh, brilliant.- Oh, wow!
0:00:25 > 0:00:30Don't eat them like that. You'll break your teeth.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Now during this series,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35we are going to be taking you on a journey into our culinary past.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38Everything's ready, let's get cracking.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42- We'll explore its revealing stories. - BOTH: Wow!
0:00:42 > 0:00:46And meet the heroes that keep our food heritage alive.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48It's a miracle what comes out of the oven.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50And of course,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54be cooking up a load of dishes that reveal our foodie evolution.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Look at that. That's a proper British treat.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We have a taste of history.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Quite simply - the Best Of British.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Today's show is a celebration of some of
0:01:28 > 0:01:30this country's most amazing food.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Its fans say it's healthy, sustainable,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38environmentally friendly, affordable and totally tasty.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41We're talking about game, of course.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44From feather to fur, game is the term used for the collection
0:01:44 > 0:01:47of wild animals and birds that are hunted and eaten.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And for centuries, we've been stalking,
0:01:53 > 0:01:58gathering and dining on the delights of this edible heritage.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02Britain has a long tradition of hunting both for sport and for food.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05From the great hunting feasts of William the Conqueror to the glorious 12th.
0:02:05 > 0:02:11With venison, pheasant and grouse taking pride of place on the menus of some of our finest restaurants.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14But it's not just the preserve of the toffs.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Ordinary folk have relied on game over the centuries
0:02:17 > 0:02:19and they've devised ingenious ways
0:02:19 > 0:02:21of getting their hands on everything
0:02:21 > 0:02:23from wildfowl to rabbits.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27And you know what, you'd be amazed at what you can do with a ferret.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28He's not wrong.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44He might look cute and cuddly, but this domesticated type of polecat is
0:02:44 > 0:02:49a fearsome hunter, perfectly adapted for putting down rabbit holes.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51And bringing home some game for your tea.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Their eyesight isn't very good,
0:02:59 > 0:03:04but their sense of smell is excellent and they're very bendy.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07If you are fairly fit you could probably touch your toes.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11If you're double jointed, you could put your chin on your bottom.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15But what you could never do is bend sideways like that
0:03:15 > 0:03:18or like that because he's just one big universal joint.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Whilst we associate ferrets with working class culture.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27You silly little devil, ain't ya?
0:03:27 > 0:03:29And wriggling around people's trousers,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34ferreting was originally an entirely aristocratic pursuit.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37In the 13th century, if you wanted to own a ferret,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40by law you had to have an income of 40 shillings,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42which meant you were seriously minted.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51By Queen Elizabeth's reign, ferrets were still associated with money and status.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55But gradually they became available to everyone.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58By the 19th century, anyone could go onto common land with a ferret
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and catch a rabbit for your tea.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Nowadays you don't need a flexible friend if you want to eat rabbit.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15And you certainly don't need a fancy chef to cook it for you.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17In our Best Of British kitchen,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20we'll show you how to rustle up a simple dish
0:04:20 > 0:04:23of rabbit with prunes, cream and brandy.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28An absolute game gem that combines the best of British ingredients
0:04:28 > 0:04:31with a bit of French je ne sais quoi.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Now all these posh folks, they've been out for centuries
0:04:36 > 0:04:39chasing stags, shooting grouse.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41But it hasn't always been the preserve of the rich.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Poor folk like a good old blast too. For us it was bunnies and rabbits.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Just get a couple of rabbits for' pot, mother.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Rabbit's been around for ages. We've shot, eaten and loved them.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55We are cooking a lovely dish with rabbits. A bit French.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58It's rabbits with prunes flamed in Cognac.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02But you know, it turns the humble rabbit into a prince. It's posh.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04It's tasty, it's lovely.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06I'll start with the prunes and the brandy.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08I'll start with browning off the rabbit.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Look at this, a couple of rabbits there.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12You can get a rabbit for about three pounds.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15So that's only six pounds worth there.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17- Six pounds of meat?- Lovely!
0:05:17 > 0:05:20And I tell you what, this dish goes like a rabbit. It's fantastic.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24It's quick, it's simple, it's tasty and it's...oh!
0:05:24 > 0:05:25These are non-soak prunes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Put them in a pan with six tablespoons of brandy.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Now you're talking! Myers, now you're talking.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Brandy.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39One.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Two, three.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Four. Five. Six.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51And then we leave the prunes to macerate in that lovely brandy.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Now I've put some butter and I'm going to put some oil into
0:05:56 > 0:05:59the pan, bring it to temperature, season the rabbit on both sides.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Thank you. Season the rabbit on both sides and brown it off.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Season both sides. Just salt into it.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Now carefully flambe the prunes.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Smells like flesh to me!
0:06:15 > 0:06:18# We'll get the fire brigade. Get the fire brigade.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22# I think the kitchen is starting to really burn... # Woo.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Wa-hey. Woo.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26I see a sign.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- I could get used to this. - You're a worry, you are.
0:06:32 > 0:06:33Right, enough of that.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36Put the fire out.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39HE LAUGHS
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- I've got no hair left on my arms! - Dave?
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- Dave.- Eh? - You haven't got any eyebrows either.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48No, no, you really haven't.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50What's happened to my hair line?
0:06:50 > 0:06:53That's it. You see, wasn't like that before he started this show.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55He had a full head of hair.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Just leave those to soak till the end of the dish.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Start chopping your bacon
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and shallots in anticipation for pan action later on down the line.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Now just start to fry these off in batches.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Don't try and overcrowd the pan
0:07:13 > 0:07:16because if you try and overcrowd the pan they're not going to fry.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Two banana shallots.
0:07:20 > 0:07:21That's what we're after.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23See that, that's the saddle, that bit there.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26Oh, that's rabbit fillet steak, that is. Beautiful.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And we're just going to put a little bit of colour on.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31This is a humble dish made good, this.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42You know, in the late 14th century rabbits were an expensive luxury.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45A lot of the recipes then advocated roasting them
0:07:45 > 0:07:46with the head still on.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I suppose it's so you'd see it's a rabbit and not your local moggy.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51A little bit more oil.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Have you ever read Watership Down?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57- Yes.- It's sad, wasn't it? - Yeah, it was.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- And rabbits have always featured in literature, haven't they?- Always.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05- Watership Down, you know, Bugs Bunny.- Bugs Bunny.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Thumper in Bambi.- Yeah.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Eee, look at it now, it could almost be chicken.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Indeed you can do this dish with chicken thighs.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Allow two chicken thighs per person.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Next, fry the chopped streaky bacon.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Now what we want to do with this bacon is,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28we just want it to go nice and crisp.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33Not very crisp but we want the fat to go quite crispy.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Right, so, can you see what we've got there? They're not crispy bits.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- That's perfect, isn't it? They're just golden.- Yes, exactly. That.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48The fried bacon joins the rabbit in the casserole.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52To the pan add the shallots and just...sweat until translucent.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Can you see? I've cut them longways. Just for that little touch of class.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02To the onions add two tablespoons of flour.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04One. Two.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Time to add the liquid. Now you could use white wine.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14- But to kind of make it a bit more British we are using cider.- We are.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19And this is 300 ml of cider.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26Got some stock here. Pour half of it in at this point.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30- This is good stock. It looks like jelly.- What a wonderful smell.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35To that we add one tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
0:09:35 > 0:09:42Like that. And two teaspoons of wholegrain mustard.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43Beautiful.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48And a little bouquet garni. A little bunch of thyme tied together.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Obviously we chuck this out before serving.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55- Oh.- And...a bayleaf.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04- How lovely.- Now, I know it's a bit of a strange convention.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08When you put the flour on top of what, in essence,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11is sauteed onions and it goes, like, really thick.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Don't freak out because all that's doing is coating the onions
0:10:14 > 0:10:17in flour, cooking that flour off a little bit
0:10:17 > 0:10:20and then as soon as you add liquid, look what's happening.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22It's just thickening it.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And there's no lumps or any problem, it's just lovely.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27We'll add some more liquid so don't worry,
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- it won't be that thick when it's done.- Right.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Beautiful.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Now top this up with the remaining stock.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49I'm going to cover this with a cartouche.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53A cartouche is a sheet of greaseproof paper
0:10:53 > 0:10:54that's cut to fit the dish.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59What it'll do is it will stop it cooking dry too quickly.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Put that on the top.
0:11:02 > 0:11:09Lid on. And place that in a preheated oven, 160 degrees Celsius
0:11:09 > 0:11:12for about one and a half, two hours.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17- Actually if you leave it in for two hours, it's not going to hurt, really.- No.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18Rabbit.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22# Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit... #
0:11:22 > 0:11:25At one time, there wasn't a market or a butchers shop in Britain
0:11:25 > 0:11:30that wouldn't be over-flowing with fresh, fantastic produce during the game season.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34And in post-war Britain, rabbit, a cheap and readily available meat,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36was rarely off the menu.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39But when a deadly virus called myxomatosis
0:11:39 > 0:11:44arrived in Britain in 1953, over 95% of the bunny population
0:11:44 > 0:11:48was wiped out, and rabbit quickly fell off the weekly menu.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52But now, from Michelin restaurants to small country cottages,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55there's a bit of a rabbit revival going on.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And if you're happy to give it a try, rabbit is a rewarding
0:11:58 > 0:12:00and flavoursome change from the ordinary.
0:12:04 > 0:12:09- I think by now that's a very "hot cross bunny"! Ha-hey! - Oh, dear me, man!
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Let's remove the cartouche.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17- Ooh!- Oh, nice.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21These are the prunes oozing in brandy.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I'll just light the gas under this.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29We'll heat those prunes through, because now they're stone cold,
0:12:29 > 0:12:30and add the cream.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Oh, man.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And just give that a little stir.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41And really as soon as that's come up to temperature, we can serve.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Now...check for seasoning.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Look what I've got. I've got some cabbage and dauphinoise potatoes.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Ooh, saddle. Primo.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03There we go, that's the one.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08- And some prunes, yeah?- Oh, for sure.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15So near, yet so far.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Lovely, creamy, dauphinoise.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Cabbage.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24The rabbit eats the cabbage
0:13:24 > 0:13:27and they both end up on the same plate together.
0:13:27 > 0:13:28Beautiful.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35So there you have it.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40A delicious, simple dish that's definitely worth rabbiting on about.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Whilst rabbit was for the masses
0:13:53 > 0:13:55and readily available to anyone who wanted it,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59there's one type of game that has long been the preserve of the rich.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02# Hello, dear... #
0:14:02 > 0:14:05The monarch of the meat is venison.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10In Norman times, deer parks provided the lord of the manor
0:14:10 > 0:14:12with a ready supply of fresh venison,
0:14:12 > 0:14:18and by the early 14th century there were 3,200 deer parks in England.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Peasants, on the other hand, got a pretty bad deal.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25The Elizabethans would punish poachers
0:14:25 > 0:14:29by castrating, blinding or even hanging them.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30Ooh, that's a bit harsh.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33By the 18th century,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36the highly prized deer parks were heavily landscaped,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and venison was still very much the flavour of the day.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Well, if you had more than a few groats to your title, obviously.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- One man.- ..and his dog.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52..who knows all about cooking venison the 18th century British way
0:14:52 > 0:14:56is our resident food historian, Ivan Day.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Ivan's home in the Lake District is a living museum where he brings
0:15:01 > 0:15:04the sights, smells, and flavours of the past to life,
0:15:04 > 0:15:09using historical recipes and a variety of odd-looking gadgets.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14A lot of my friends call me the Clockwork Cook
0:15:14 > 0:15:19because I cook with a range of these extraordinary early
0:15:19 > 0:15:24historical mechanisms and it is a very sophisticated way of cooking.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28It's my preferred way of roasting, to use one of my machines.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Today he's going to cook up an 18th century posh venison kebab,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37roasted in front of the fire and served with a medieval sauce.
0:15:40 > 0:15:45The first thing I've got to do is to cut this venison into little medallions.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50They'll be a little bit too thick, really, and small
0:15:50 > 0:15:52so I'm going to hack them out with the back of a knife
0:15:52 > 0:15:55which is a technique which was called scotching.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58In fact, what I'll get are things called collops
0:15:58 > 0:16:00which are thin rashers, if you like, of venison.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08Venison was once exclusively for the British aristocracy.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11In fact, Henry VIII wooed Anne Boleyn with gifts of it.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14I mean, I reckon she would have preferred diamonds, like, but neh mind.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Next he sows chunky bacon fat into the collops,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22with a little help from a nifty set of 18th century tools.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I'm very lucky to actually own this remarkable survival
0:16:26 > 0:16:29from the period of the recipe, from the early 18th century.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34Which is a set of larding pins. Every cook had one of these.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37They were as important to him as his knife.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40You don't get them in Morecombe High Street!
0:16:40 > 0:16:44And basically you've got these little needles
0:16:44 > 0:16:48with these flexible ends that you can shove a piece of bacon into
0:16:48 > 0:16:53and you can literally sow it into the meat to tenderise it
0:16:53 > 0:16:58so that there's lots of fat in what is actually a very lean meat
0:16:58 > 0:17:01so that will lubricate it and cook it to perfection.
0:17:02 > 0:17:0623 collops to go. This could take some time, you know.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09You can always fast forward to the next part in telly, though.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10It's time to move on.
0:17:15 > 0:17:1818th century meat cookery used a bucketload of different herbs
0:17:18 > 0:17:22for extra flavour and this dish calls for a mixture
0:17:22 > 0:17:26of thyme, rosemary, parsley, chervil and marjoram.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32Then mix them in with a little bit of very finely chopped beef suet.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And this is actually also like the lardons.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38It will lubricate each slice of venison
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and there's also a little bit of egg yolk in there
0:17:41 > 0:17:43to stick all of these sheets together.
0:17:45 > 0:17:52What made this Georgian venison delight seriously indulgent was the use of spices.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Exotic cloves, long peppercorns and nutmeg
0:17:54 > 0:17:57all the way from the Spice Islands of Indonesia.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01A truly international meal, created here in Britain.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06What we're going to do is to stir it altogether and make
0:18:06 > 0:18:09a kind of herb butter from it but without the butter.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10A herb suet, if you like.
0:18:10 > 0:18:16I'm going to spread this in-between my little collops of venison
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and stack them up in a tower.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23What I will create in fact is really a very ancient,
0:18:23 > 0:18:28very early British doner kebab but much posher than a doner kebab.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36I can't wait to see what this turns out like. Let's get a move on, eh?
0:18:44 > 0:18:47Right, it's getting a little bit unstable
0:18:47 > 0:18:50but that's no problem cos I'm going to put the skewer through in a moment
0:18:50 > 0:18:53which will hold the whole thing together.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59- 'Careful, Ivan!'- Actually I'm going to have to do it like that.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05After being skewered and tied, the spit is finally run through it.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16For centuries keeping the spit turning was a thankless task
0:19:16 > 0:19:20which was done by hand or even by dogs powering a wheel.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25But during the 16th century, a new mechanism appeared
0:19:25 > 0:19:29on the culinary market which was really the world's first robot.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32It was called a jack in this country
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and it enabled you to rotate your meat.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39But also it enabled you to cook the meat to perfection
0:19:39 > 0:19:41if you understood the technology.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Ivan's clockwork spit goes back to the 1720s,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47exactly the same era as the recipe.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55Now here's a clever bit. Ivan bastes the venison with red wine. This drips off
0:19:55 > 0:19:59with the meat gravy and is used to make the sauce.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06This sauce is a very ancient sauce for serving with game
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and venison and goes right back to the medieval period
0:20:09 > 0:20:11in terms of almost like a hunting sauce.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14And it was called a galantine.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Ivan uses something called a chafing dish,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20that holds red hot coals from the fire,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22on which to prepare the sauce.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28He mixes red wine, vinegar, sugar and cinnamon together.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32It is, in effect, a sweet, sour sauce.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35But the most important ingredient that'll go in this,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38all the juices that are now dripping off the venison
0:20:38 > 0:20:43so the actual gravy from the venison is going to be the real background flavour in this.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48The medieval way of thickening a gravy like this was to use breadcrumbs.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52And do you know, I think I might try that next time I have a roast.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54BELL RINGS
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Right, dinner is served.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Now that's one kebab you WON'T see on a Friday night.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09And then what we do, we separate it again.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11We take it, individual collop by individual collop
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and arrange it on a nice plate and then pour the sauce over it.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Dish done.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20That looks delicious.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22With experts like Ivan around,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26we can keep looking to history for foodie inspiration.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30A thing that never changes is good-tasting food.
0:21:30 > 0:21:38So a remarkable 1723 doner kebab. Venison in collops.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48- ARCHIVE:- This machine can pluck pheasants in a fraction of the time that it takes by hand.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54By the Sixties you could buy your game already plucked, preserved and tinned, to eat any time of year.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59And they're topped up with jelly before being sent away to the processing oven.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01MUSIC: "Swing" by Zero 7
0:22:01 > 0:22:03But for a truly fresh taste of our heritage,
0:22:03 > 0:22:08you need to wait until the autumn to bag yourself something wild and wonderful.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11We're heading to the Highlands of Scotland,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14about an hour or so away outside Inverness
0:22:14 > 0:22:17to join a grouse shooting party on the Balavil estate.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19DOG BARKS INDOORS
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Hello gentleman. Very nice to see you, Dave, Simon.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28- Lovely to see you.- Hi, how are you? Good to see you.- Very well, come on in.- Thank you.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Our totally game Best of British food hero
0:22:32 > 0:22:37is Allan Macpherson-Fletcher who is the latest in a long line of Macphersons
0:22:37 > 0:22:41to oversee the 7,500 acre Balavil estate.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48They've been hunting game on this estate for over 200 hundred years
0:22:48 > 0:22:50and they've got the trophies to prove it.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Grouse shooting became a national obsession
0:22:58 > 0:23:05in the second half of the 19th century, after Queen Victoria bought Balmoral.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08In its hey-day, shooting parties were reserved for royalty
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and the over-privileged, and they really went to town.
0:23:12 > 0:23:20In 1913, George V led a party that killed 3,937 birds in one day.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23- DOG BARKS - Nowadays, the number of birds shot is closely monitored
0:23:23 > 0:23:30by the gamekeeper, who ensures that enough are left to breed for the following year.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33And it's not just sport... It's a business.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42Today's guests have come all the way from Austria to shoot.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45And have paid £500 a day each for the privilege.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Hands up who's shooting.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Gents, you've all been here before or you've shot grouse before.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Nonetheless, can I still give you a quick chat about the safety?
0:24:04 > 0:24:06When the line of beaters is coming in towards you
0:24:06 > 0:24:10they will blow a horn about 200 metres out.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13However, it's your responsibility not to shoot them. Also...
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- 'POSH VOICE:- It really would be bad form to shoot the beater,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- 'wouldn't it?' - 'Aye, you're right there.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:26What they're after is this "wee cow'rin, timorous beastie", the famous Highland grouse.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29Grouse has been on the menu for centuries.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Back in medieval times, it was just one of the ingredients in a game pie
0:24:33 > 0:24:36that included heron, crane, swan and stork.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43Game pie was often the spectacular centrepiece of a Tudor feast.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53And in 1861, Mrs Beeton dedicated an entire chapter to grouse and game
0:24:53 > 0:24:56in her domestic household management bible.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10Since the Game Act of 1831 made it illegal to shoot out of season,
0:25:10 > 0:25:15grouse can only be hunted between the 12th August, commonly called the Glorious Twelfth,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and December 10th.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31So, Alan, what's happening now?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- Right. The guns are all aboard.- Yes.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38One or two of them are walking into position.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The ones on the top of the hill are going by Argocat.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45We've a line of ten butts running down the shoulder of the hill.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- And a butt is? - It's a protection.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53A stone-built little protection. so that it gives you camouflage.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55The birds don't see you standing up.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57They've got fantastic eyesight, grouse.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01If you're standing up, bobbing around, they would swerve off and avoid you.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- And all the grouse, all the game is eaten?- All eaten.
0:26:04 > 0:26:10We tend to hang on naturally to all the best and youngest grouse for ourselves.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The rest go to a game dealer and get shipped to London,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16no doubt to the restaurants down there.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21'On the 12th of August every year,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24'restaurateurs race to get grouse on the menu,
0:26:24 > 0:26:29'driving hundreds of miles in a day for the first batches of this small, meaty bird.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:36'The prices can be sky high, but if you're prepared to wait a few days,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39'the cost can often drop by half.'
0:26:39 > 0:26:42There is a school of thought that doesn't agree with hunting and field sports.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45What's your answer to that?
0:26:45 > 0:26:52Well, we all respect each other. I am very happy to defend what we do here.
0:26:52 > 0:26:59Um, we have to crop these birds and the deer on the hill for their own good.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03For a start, if we didn't control them,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08the deer would get too old and die a slow, lingering death,
0:27:08 > 0:27:10because there's not enough food out here.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13The grouse, if we didn't have Arthur on the hill,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16maintaining the population through vermin control,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19the hawks would take them all, there would be nothing left.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22- And when there's no grouse left, the hawks disappear.- Yes.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26So it's one of those things that I defend the shooting side.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31And it's not just we are out here enjoying the bloodthirsty sport of killing birds,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33there's a wider picture to all of that.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37'All the birds shot today will be collected,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40'hung and plucked, ready for the pot.'
0:27:49 > 0:27:51'So with the first brace of game in the bag,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54'we're heading back to the house to get cooking.'
0:27:57 > 0:28:02- Come on in. Now then, Simon, Paul. - Very nice to meet you. - Good to see you.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06If anybody can show us how to prepare these grouse, it's going to be you.
0:28:06 > 0:28:07You've got through a few in your time.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12- I've done a few in my time in the last ten years on this estate.- What's interesting,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and you must find this, the reverence in which the bird is held
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- by everybody that's shot it and the household and what you do with it. - Yes.
0:28:19 > 0:28:25- It's fabulous.- The whole cycle is there, from the estate to the plate.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And that's what I like. In some ways, I find that more honourable
0:28:29 > 0:28:33- than going to a supermarket and buying your meat in a plastic bag. - Hear, hear.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40Croutons are toasted, spread with grass pate and used as a base.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45- Some nice streaky bacon.- Good honest cooking.- It is.- I love it.
0:28:45 > 0:28:51What we do this for is to keep the breast nice and moist.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Plus the fact that everybody likes it.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- THEY LAUGH - It's the pickings, isn't it?- Yes.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02- In the Aga. 20 to 25 minutes. - That's it.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- Simple as that. - Is that it? Excellent.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12'The household has a long history of shooting parties
0:29:12 > 0:29:17'and Alan is lucky enough to have the records dating back to 1780.'
0:29:17 > 0:29:21It's interesting in that it's a well-documented shooting estate.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25Most of the estates here started maybe in Victorian times in keeping records,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29but we were fortunate in that we had a extraordinary gentlemen
0:29:29 > 0:29:33who rented this estate back in 1780.
0:29:33 > 0:29:38And kept a marvellous diary of his exploits here.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43He completely bankrupted himself, but had fun while it lasted.
0:29:43 > 0:29:49He was keen on his food. He was keen on his food. His menus out there.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53He invited the whole of society out there.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56Here met with the Laird and Captain MacPherson.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Here is an example of his menus. "A hodge podge. Remove.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02"A roast pike of 7lbs."
0:30:02 > 0:30:06"Sauces, greens, reindeer tongues, potatoes, chickens."
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Then you get into the second course. THEY LAUGH
0:30:09 > 0:30:11"Loin of mutton, black game and partridge,
0:30:11 > 0:30:17"current jelly, capsicum, elder, garlic, vinegars, powerade and char."
0:30:17 > 0:30:22"A carving. Biscuits, stilton cheese, Cheshire, butter, goat's milk." Absolutely wonderful.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27- It's a good old feast. - He had fun.- This was the 1790s? - 1790, yeah.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29'A superb sounding menu,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33'but we've got something simpler to try back in the kitchen.'
0:30:33 > 0:30:36All right, boys? There you go.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41- What a treat. Thank you very much. Thank you.- One for you, Dave, one for you, Si.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46- And a knife and fork, unless you wish to use your fingers. - No, this is a rare treat, thank you.
0:30:46 > 0:30:47And if you game chips.
0:30:47 > 0:30:53- It's even that more exciting, because we've been up there where they live.- Ah.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Ah, that is superb.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00It's just cooked perfectly through.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- Look at that moist, beautiful meat. - Mm-hm.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07This is the bit I've been dying to... My crouton.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Here's a man who likes to get it all on the fork at the one time.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14- Oh, yeah. That's what it's on the plate for. - That full sensation.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18He's worried it might not get it all in his mouth.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22That is immense. Beautiful. Absolutely immense. Oh.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27What you're eating there, that breast muscle, you saw how fast those birds were flying today.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30And these are completely wild birds.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32There is no artificial feeding on these.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35All the food they're getting is completely natural.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Thank you so, so much. Look at that.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43- Now there's the best of British on a fork. Look at that.- Very much so.
0:31:43 > 0:31:50I mean, I think it's a real treat to be able to have food literally from the field to the plate
0:31:50 > 0:31:54in such a wonderful, fresh, vibrant way.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58- It's the Highlands!- Wow.- Crikey. - It's been a great pleasure having you with us.
0:32:04 > 0:32:11'Nowadays, you don't have to be a member of the Royal family with six wives to enjoy some venison -
0:32:11 > 0:32:13'the most majestic of meats.'
0:32:13 > 0:32:20We're diving back into the Best of British kitchen to rustle up a feast fit for a king.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Well, on a 21st-century budget.
0:32:22 > 0:32:28Isn't that beautiful? Look at the colour of that meat. It's lean, it's flavoursome,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31but, you've got to be careful how you cook it.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37- That's because it's lean. Anyway, game on!- Oh! What?!
0:32:37 > 0:32:39We're going to make a venison dish,
0:32:39 > 0:32:45- which is truly for Princes, Kings, paupers alike. - It is, it is.- Venison cobbler.
0:32:45 > 0:32:51- Oh, you see? See that mix, Royal meat, cobbler, common as muck. - Oh-ho.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53What is a venison cobbler?
0:32:53 > 0:32:57- It's a stew that's kind of got savoury scones on the top.- Yes.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59And the scones come together like cobbles,
0:32:59 > 0:33:03- but it's rather like a dumpling gets the nice bits, the gravy?- Yes.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06- Cobbler's the same, it soaks it up from underneath.- Right.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11First off, we've got to make a venison casserole, but a blooming good one.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- This dish you could substitute for shoulder of lamb, stewing steak.- You could.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17Either would work perfectly well,
0:33:17 > 0:33:21- but then it wouldn't be a venison cobbler. - No, it would be something else then.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26Right. Tell you what I need, I need two onions and a carrot.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30I need a pan, some oil and celery.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34- Now we're back to that old chestnut. - Yes.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39It's the basis of all things lovely, so all I'm going to do is prepare these onions
0:33:39 > 0:33:42in a way that we've prepared many thousands of onions before us.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46We're going to take the skin off and slice them. All right?
0:33:46 > 0:33:48Sunflower oil goes in a pan.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Two sticks of celery.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Put that in to fry.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08There's nothing more noble than when you see deer, is there?
0:34:08 > 0:34:12It's just such a beautiful animal and there's lots of different types.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16There's fellow deer, which is good for meat, and roe deer, which is good for meat.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19There's red deer, which is good for meat.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24- But my favourite is the tasty little one, the muntjac. - Oh, yes, the little fella.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27Chuck your carrots.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34Now we just cook this gently for ten minutes until the onions soften.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37To that I add two tablespoons of flour
0:34:37 > 0:34:40and one teaspoonful of English mustard.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44And the flour sticks to the onions
0:34:44 > 0:34:48- and that's going to be our thickening agent.- Next thing,
0:34:48 > 0:34:53- is 500 mills of beer.- That's a pint in old money near enough.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04- Ooh, that's thick.- Isn't it? And then we ad 250mls of water.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09We'll bring that back to the boil and then we'll add the venison.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Look at that.
0:35:12 > 0:35:18Now, in goes this lovely bit of venison.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Look at how rich the colour of that meat is.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Look at that. Fabulous.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26- That will be full of iron, that. - Absolutely.
0:35:26 > 0:35:27Give it a stir.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34'Two tablespoons of chopped thyme are added to the pot.'
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Pop that in.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40And it's just the leaves, not the stalks,
0:35:40 > 0:35:44because we're not going to strain this. What goes in will end up on your plate.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47And then we add two bay leaves. Just crumpled.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51And then some redcurrant jelly.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Once that jelly is dissolved, we put that into a casserole dish,
0:35:54 > 0:35:58put that into an oven, preheated 160C for a fan oven,
0:35:58 > 0:36:02and leave it there to moulder for about two hours, really.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06- Hour and a half, two hours.- Two and a half.- Yes.- Turn it down, leave it for three.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08As long as it doesn't go dry, you'll be all right.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11The longer you leave it, the tender it's going to be.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Phwoar! How lovely is that?
0:36:22 > 0:36:25We hope that cooks down, or else there's no room for our cobbles.
0:36:28 > 0:36:29Right.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Beautiful.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Now. What shall we do?
0:36:34 > 0:36:37- Crochet?- Oh, no!
0:36:38 > 0:36:44Viewers, you just don't know how much he loves to knit to while away the hours.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02- Beautiful.- Lovely job. Pepper, salt.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04And we use lemon juice.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08About a good tablespoon of lemon juice.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- Don't be frightened with the old pepper.- Nah.- Get it in.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Perfect.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20The lemon juice sharpens it up nicely. Have a taste?
0:37:23 > 0:37:25- That sharpens it up, all right. - Good.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26Time to get cobbling.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Into a food processor put in self-raising flour.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35Think a cobble is like making a scone.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37It has to rise.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41The baking powder in the flour will enable this to happen.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Some salt goes into this. About a teaspoon.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Some butter. And whizz this to crumbs.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54I'm not going to make the dough in the processer,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56because I feel, using the milk, it's quite a soft dough,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00it would actually just, well, it would go to mush.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03So just whizz this to a crumb-like form.
0:38:03 > 0:38:08Pulse is better, because if you just let it go,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12it could just go terribly...sort of smeary.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16I mean, there's not much butter to the flour on this one.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20It's not like when you're making pastry, where's a lot of butter.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21Et, voila!
0:38:21 > 0:38:26Put the flour and butter and salt mixture into Granny's bowl.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31- Every house used to have one of these, didn't it? - Yes, they did!
0:38:31 > 0:38:33- They still have.- Yeah.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Ours was used for everything, from hotpot
0:38:36 > 0:38:38to baking bread,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41to soaking my mother's feet.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Everything was done in that bowl. Right.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45Add milk.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51I'll just form the dough. This can be quite rustic.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Whoo-ooh-ooh! Oh, no.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57- It's all measured.- Oh! Ho-ho-ho.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00That's it. Lovely.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Little Mr Sifter.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Oh-oh! Lucky!
0:39:07 > 0:39:10- Sack the juggler.- Oh-ho!
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Wait a minute. Are you ready?
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Not here in Downton Abbey!
0:39:19 > 0:39:21- Whoo! Phew.- Roll it out.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Now we're aiming for chunky cobblers, so just cutting them out.
0:39:25 > 0:39:30A little cookie cutter, little, chunky cobblers.
0:39:30 > 0:39:31You get about a dozen.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35- There you are. Look at that!- Lovely. - Isn't it sweet?
0:39:37 > 0:39:42'Then pack the cobblers tightly round the edge of the stew.'
0:39:51 > 0:39:54And they're going to rise up.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58- Like a scone. - Shall I get another one in?- Oh, aye.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- Just.- Well done.- Great.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07Now then, what I want to do is just brush the top of each cobbler
0:40:07 > 0:40:09with a little bit of egg.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16And they're going to have a lovely finish on them when they rise.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18If you're doing this for a dinner party,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22you can cook the venison part the day before, let it go cold,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25and just set the cobblers on top of the cold dish,
0:40:25 > 0:40:26and then bake it off.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28It really doesn't matter.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Now, this goes into the oven...
0:40:32 > 0:40:33Topless.
0:40:33 > 0:40:39160 degrees Celsius, for 30 minutes until your cobblers are brown
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and your stew's reduced a bit.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52- That's got to be ready, mate.- Ready.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Oh!
0:40:55 > 0:40:56Beautiful thing.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Good as!
0:41:00 > 0:41:01That is a triumph.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05It is, isn't it? Those little cobblers swallow up a treat.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Beautiful.
0:41:07 > 0:41:08That's reduced nicely.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09It has.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Which intensifies the flavour to give more satisfaction.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15- Indeed.- Indeed. Shall we have a dibble?
0:41:15 > 0:41:16Should we?
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- Let's have a dabble, dibble. - Oh, yes!
0:41:23 > 0:41:26This would be lovely served with mashed potatoes and runner beans.
0:41:26 > 0:41:31British runners. It's the cobbler I've got to go for, isn't it?
0:41:31 > 0:41:33Yeah. Listen to them, man.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37So light. Look at that. One fork and in pieces.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45Mmm!
0:41:46 > 0:41:48Mmm-mm-mmm!
0:41:48 > 0:41:50Good?
0:41:52 > 0:41:57That venison... Look at that, it's just falling apart.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59Oh, man!
0:41:59 > 0:42:00Good, isn't it?
0:42:00 > 0:42:01Mm-hmm!
0:42:01 > 0:42:03We should eat more venison, you know.
0:42:03 > 0:42:06It's very plentiful, it's very sustainable,
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and it's as free range as you like. I mean,
0:42:09 > 0:42:11you never get a battery deer, do you?
0:42:11 > 0:42:13No.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Whoa!
0:42:14 > 0:42:18And you know, when you get tired of dumplings,
0:42:18 > 0:42:19make yourself a cobbler.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26- Now that is wonderful - great British game.- Aye.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31# Now I'm always touched by your presence, dear
0:42:33 > 0:42:37# I'm still in touch with your presence, dear
0:42:37 > 0:42:42- # Dear, dear, dear, dear, dear, dear.- #
0:42:46 > 0:42:49Some of the finest food our countryside can provide
0:42:49 > 0:42:52flies, runs and swims freely,
0:42:52 > 0:42:53and has done for centuries.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56So, whether you catch it or shoot it...
0:42:56 > 0:42:59poach it or buy it,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01..roast it or skewer it...
0:43:01 > 0:43:03..why not follow in the footsteps of your forefathers,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05and get yourself some game?
0:43:05 > 0:43:07It's high in protein, low in fat,
0:43:07 > 0:43:11with a variety of flavour to satisfy the most demanding of palettes.
0:43:13 > 0:43:19And, if you want to find out more, visit:
0:43:19 > 0:43:23..to discover some amazing facts about the history of food,
0:43:23 > 0:43:27and, to find out how to cook the recipes in today's show.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd